Verdict on Spark:York after its first 6 months

KATE Burton has jetlag and has been working all hours to get her new cafe Cardamom & Dill ready to open at Spark:York.

If she is tired, it's not showing. She is beaming as she invites me to take a seat at the white table in the former shipping container that is now home to her 14-seater vegetarian eatery in Piccadilly.

Over coffee and a slice of homemade Greek orange and olive oil cake, Kate excitedly tells me about some of the plans she has for the place; from the guest-chef evenings to the monthly themed supper clubs.

She's only been open for business a few days, but has been busy from the off.

Kate is a self-taught cook and a passionate one. She started running a pop-up vegetarian and vegan cafe at the School House Gallery in York. It was so well received she dreamt of opening a fully-fledged restaurant but couldn't find the right place and was daunted by the financial investment needed. Moving into Spark was the perfect solution, where rents can be as little as £80 a week and start-up costs can be a tenth of opening in the city centre.

"I'd been looking for my own place for about six months, but it was hard to find. I wanted a contemporary, light space, but much of York is so medieval. My ideal place would be in a pod in a warehouse. So this is my 'pod in a warehouse'. I never thought I could make a container look so lovely and welcoming," she says.

NEW ARRIVAL: Kate Burton and some of her vegetarian dishes at Cardamom & Dill at Spark:York

The narrow dining room has seven square white tables and plain cafe chairs. On the walls are photos taken by Kate of food and markets on her travels. The food she prepares and serves at Spark is inspired by the places she has visited and loved, including France, Spain and the Middle East. On a wooden table separating the dining area and the kitchen, Kate displays her dishes of the day. Last week, her theme was Greek food and diners could enjoy the likes of lentil salad with sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers and herbs; roast garlic hummus with lemon; and classic spanakopita with feta, spinach and dill.

Kate has roped in fellow Spark trader Alex Cronin who runs the 4swings cocktail bar on the upper floor of the container site to help with her supper club. He has crafted two cocktails to complement her Greek-themed menu and will serve them to diners on the evening. "One of the very nice things about Spark is doing things together and co-operating and getting things going on," he says.

Upstairs in his tiny bar (which has four wooden swings inside for "chairs"), Alex is warming some "hot cider", a non alcoholic concoction of apple juice with cinnamon, star anise, black pepper, coffee and cocoa nibs from York Cocoa Works. For extra oomph you can add a shot of rum.

It's just starting to get dark, but with glasses of rum-punch cider on offer, warmth from outdoor heaters, and cover from the new roof canopy, Spark is shaping up as a destination for all seasons – and weathers. A lift has also been installed.

COSY: Enjoying a cocktail at 4swings at Spark: York

Winter will be a test for the fledgling enterprise which has attracted controversy ever since the idea was first mooted to build a temporary retail park from used shipping containers on the site of the former Reynard's garage in Piccadilly.

To many people's amazement, including co-founders and directors Sam Leach and Tom McKenzie, the council backed the scheme – standing up to vocal opposition that the development was unsuitable for one of York's conservation areas. Its lease runs until June 2020 and, under its terms, 30 per cent of profits will be returned to the council as well as an annual rent of £13,000. The council spent an initial £40,000 preparing the site for commercial use.

The directors acknowledge the council took a leap of faith in backing the project – but say the success of its first six months have proved the local authority did the right thing. Turnover has reached £1.5 million – twice the original forecast, and while some businesses have come and gone (a few moving into sites in the city centre), all the units are allocated with three or four inquiries coming in each week from prospective tenants.

Sam Leach said: "The council was brave in supporting us; they could have shut the door on us and called us dreamers. Where we have come in six months is tremendous. We are ambitious to continue and develop that."

But the first six months have not been without problems, the main one being planning wrangles over the exterior appearance of the building and the new canopy roof.

The original planning application stated the exterior would be clad with timber. Instead, it is decorated with street art, which the directors say is more in keeping with the alternative nature of the site. However, in a second look at the issue, councillors narrowly voted that the original cladding should be installed. It still hasn't – and the matter isn't yet resolved. Spark is putting in a further "compromise" application, offering to make the exterior more fitting for a conservation area, while also considering an appeal against the cladding enforcement.

Meanwhile, the planning application for the new roof is still in process, held up by the need of new documents, according the the local authority. Tom said new drawings have been drawn up and are about to be submitted.

CONTROVERSY: Council leader Ian Gillies, above, says the exterior graffiti is an "eyesore" and cladding should be applied as was orginally agreed

Council leader Ian Gillies has been a supporter of Spark but believes the planning dispute is doing more harm than good. He welcomed the upbeat economic news but urged the directors to settle the planning issues. "I have sympathy with people who think it's an eyesore – I do. But they have to realise that with success comes challenges and you can't ignore planning regulations. It's a shame. If they had put cladding up when they were told to do so they would have more support from the general public."

"It was made to be different"

BACK at Spark, the directors are dismayed that the enterprise is now prefixed with the word "controversial".

Tom McKenzie said: "We are inexperienced but not naive. We are not rule breakers. We would rather not put up cladding. We have to appreciate the aesthetic. It was made to be different; it is temporary. Tell me one developer who had not put in retrospective planning application – and that's not seen as controversial."

Sam Leach added: "There has been a level of contention. I am happy with that if it means this area gets on the map."

As far as they are concerned, there is plenty of good news to shout about after six months of trading. They say Spark has lived up to its goals of creating a social enterprise, offering affordable space for local people to trade as well as building an inviting community hub, attractive to people of all ages – and particularly somewhere for locals.

Sam said: "This is a community of things. It's never been about exclusivity. We have created a positive environment for people to visit – including people with their grandchildren."

While people do consume alcohol at Spark, the directors insist it is more than just an outdoor drinking space. For starters, there is a programme of events including music, comedy and arts shows and they are planning an outdoor cinema for Christmas time. Next Thursday, 30 stall holders will host an Indie Makers fair. They also say Spark is contributing to that elusive concept that York desperately wants to promote: the early-evening economy. And they point out that they are in harmony with their neighbours and even on one of their busiest evenings – a World Cup match when they had 700 visitors – the night passed trouble-free.

SUCCESS: Spark:York directors Tom McKenzie, left, and Sam Leach are delighted with the first six months at Spark:York

They are proud to be reviving Piccadilly, a place they say has been "barren" for 25 years.

An overarching aim is to make York a more appealing place for people to live and work, particularly young people.

Next year, they will launch a business hub offering collaboration and mentoring for local students and graduates to encourage them to stay in the city. Sam said: "The retention rate of York students is just two per cent." Many students, he added, moved to London, Leeds or Manchester, and Spark would like to help change that.

Ultimately, they are delighted that so many people have taken Spark to their hearts. Sam said: "It's more of a success for the businesses – we have created a space to allow them to thrive."

SPARK IN NUMBERS

• £1.5m turnover across the site.

• More than 400 hours of community activities and events (most of which are either pay-as-you-feel or free).

• Visitor numbers: 250,000.

• Over 60 jobs created on the site, some for people from marginalised backgrounds or who have learning disabilities.

• Around £600,000 investment in delivering the project, with more than £50,000 reinvested in improvements and capital investment.

• Businesses paying between £80-£250 per week in rent (average: £150)

• 70 per cent of current businesses have had no previous permanent location and classified as start-up. After reserved units filled, this will be 85 per cent.

• Some 82 per cent of businesses are from York (or York postcode).

• Around 1,000sqm commercial space provided across 23 shipping containers.